ASU NFL draft preview: The intriguing case of RB Kalen Ballage

Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

Arizona State Sun Devils running back Kalen Ballage talks with teammates in the huddle prior to the game against the San Diego State Aztecs at Sun Devil Stadium.
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Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

Arizona State running back Kalen Ballage does the broad jump during the NFL combine.
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Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

Kalen Ballage could be the first former ASU football player picked in the 2018 NFL draft.
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Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard hope to reach new heights in the NFL.
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Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

Arizona State Sun Devils running back Kalen Ballage (7) carries the ball during the second half in a game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. The Sun Devils won 40-24.
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Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

Arizona State Sun Devils running back Kalen Ballage (7) warm ups before a game at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe on November 4, 2017.
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Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

Arizona State running back Kalen Ballage (7) carries the ball against Utah in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

Sep 23, 2017: Arizona State Sun Devils running back Kalen Ballage (7) warms up prior to the game against the Oregon Ducks at Sun Devil Stadium.
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Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

Arizona State's Kalen Ballage warms up prior to an NCAA college football game against San Diego State Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, in Tempe, Ariz.
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Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

ASU's Karen Ballage (7) hurdles the arms of New Mexico State's Shamad Lomax (22) on his way to a touchdown during the first quarter at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. on August 31, 2017.
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Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

ASU's Kalen Ballage practices with his teammates at the Kajikawa Practice Facility in Tempe, Ariz. on April 3, 2017.
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Photos: ASU running back Kalen Ballage

Arizona State's Kalen Ballage returns a kick off against Duke late in the 4th quarter to set-up the game-winning touchdown on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2014 at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX.
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As Arizona State practiced for last season's Hyundai Sun Bowl, a coach watched running back Kalen Ballage run through drills.

The coach was asked how he thought Ballage would fare leading up to the NFL draft.

"He's going to blow up," he said.

Indeed, he did.

Ballage performed well at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., earning praise as one of the week's standouts. A month later, he held steady at the NFL combine, showing off speed and athletic ability uncommon for a running back his size. Even so, as this week's draft sets to unfold, experts still aren't sure what to make of Ballage, weighing his physical skills against what some view as an underwhelming college career.

In that sense, Ballage might be the most intriguing draft prospect in recent ASU history.

"He was an interesting evaluation," ESPN draft expert Todd McShay said. "Elite measurables. You just don’t find many guys who are 6-1½, 228 (pounds), run a 4.46 and have the workout numbers that he had."

Ballage's biggest hurdle: He shared the ASU backfield with Demario Richard, an equally talented running back who also is an NFL draft prospect, one of a handful for the Sun Devils in this draft class.

At ASU, Ballage and Richard were linked from Day 1. Both were part of coach Todd Graham's 2014 recruiting class. Both played as true freshmen. Both blossomed into an effective 1-2 punch with Richard eventually taking the lead role.

Last season, Richard took 35 percent of ASU's carries, totaling 1,027 rushing yards and averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Ballage took 27.8 percent of the handoffs – amassing 669 yards on 4.3 per carry – but he also played bigger roles as a receiver and kick returner.

Why wasn't Ballage ever the guy?

Not surprisingly, when NFL scouts contacted ASU running backs coach John Simon to discuss Ballage, most started in an obvious place: Why wasn't Ballage ever the guy in ASU's backfield? It's a difficult question, one debated among fans and beyond. Even Graham at times last season wanted to get Ballage more involved, but he left the play-calling to then-offensive coordinator Billy Napier.

"It’s fair to say that he didn’t produce the statistics that one might assume given that he is an NFL prospect with undeniable athletic ability and size," said Rob Rang, senior draft analyst at NFLDraftScout.com.

Rang mentioned Ballage's eight-touchdown effort against Texas Tech in 2016, a performance that vaulted the Peyton, Colo., native into early season Heisman Trophy consideration. The expectation was that Ballage would turn into one of the Pac-12's more dominating backs.

It never happened.

"But I don’t know that it’s fair to pin that all on him because, obviously, the playcallers have to give him the opportunity to run the ball," Rang said.

An advantage for Ballage: His versatility. During a media teleconference, McShay compared him to former Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, who last season had 80 catches out of the backfield for the Carolina Panthers.

"His vision and his patience just aren’t what they need to be right now at the running back position," McShay said of Ballage. "He has average power and balance for a guy his size. I think his agility and acceleration are what stand out on tape. He’s a natural route runner and pass catcher and I think that’s how he’s going to be used. In today’s NFL, it works out perfectly."

McShay said a team could draft Ballage as early as the third round. Rang, however, didn't see him coming off the board until rounds four through seven. In a talented running back class, CBSSports and WalterFootball.com rank Ballage eighth at the position.

In the end, Simon said it comes down to this:

"If you have a good offensive line and you’re putting holes in there for the running back to hit, the question becomes: 'When we block them all, what does this kid have the ability to do?' " the ASU coach said. "If we don’t block them, Kalen is going to get 2 yards, but so is the other running back that we have. But if we do block them, what is the chance that this kid can go the distance? And that’s what excites and intrigues them about Kalen Ballage."

A look at ASU's other major draft prospects

Sam Jones

A two-year starter at left guard, Jones (6-5, 290) left school after his junior season. CBSSports.com lists him as the draft's No. 9 guard. "He has a chance to sneak in late," Rang said. "But at the same time I believe that he’s a year or two away from actually competing for NFL playing time. I would’ve liked to have seen him return for exactly that reason, just to add a little more polish. But he does have size, he does have athletic ability and he played in an offense that not only ran the ball but also passed the ball a lot. He’s an intriguing prospect."

Demario Richard

Despite splitting time with Ballage, Richard (5-9, 218) finished as one of the more productive backs in ASU history. While many draft experts view him as a priority free agent, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock lists Richard as a sleeper. "He’s a bowling ball, and he’s as physical and as tough a runner as there is in the draft," Mayock told Philly.com.

Former Arizona State Sun Devils running back Demario Richard is looking for a chance to prove himself in the NFL.(Photo: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)

Christian Sam

Sam declared for the draft after a strong junior season in which he led ASU in tackles. "He has some buzz to him," Rang said. "He had solid workouts and his production speaks for itself. At the same time, when you watch him on tape, Arizona State ran a different scheme than a lot of teams. It funnels the action to those two linebackers and that’s one of the reasons why Sam’s numbers were pretty impressive. But he is physical, he is instinctive and he’s a better athlete than people want to give him credit for. As strong as this year’s class is at running back, it’s pretty weak at linebacker so I think it could potentially move him up a round or so just because teams that need linebackers are going to draft them."

Jojo Wicker

Wicker – a second-team All-Pac-12 selection who left after his junior season – played mostly at defensive end but Graham always thought his future was at the 3-tech position. CBSSports lists Wicker as the draft's No. 22 defensive tackle. "He’s definitely going to get an opportunity but if he’s drafted, I think we’re going to be talking about 6th or 7th round rather than the early rounds," Rang said.

Contact Doug Haller at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-4949. Follow him at Twitter.com/DougHaller.